Jal Jeevan Mission (Har Ghar Jal)

What is Jal Jeevan Mission?

Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), branded Har Ghar Jal, is a flagship programme of the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, launched in August 2019 to provide every rural household in India with a Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC).

According to the National Jal Jeevan Mission, the mission's service standard is at least 55 litres of safe drinking water per person per day, supplied regularly and on a long-term basis, meeting the prescribed BIS 10500 quality standard. Unlike most central schemes, JJM is not a cash transfer - the benefit is a physical piped connection at the household.

Key objectives

• Provide a functional tap connection to every one of the country's 19.36 crore rural households.
• Prioritise quality-affected habitations, drought-prone and desert areas, Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana villages, and schools, anganwadis and health centres.
• Build source sustainability through rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge and greywater reuse.
• Make village communities, through the Gram Panchayat, the owners and operators of their own water supply system.

Main features

• Decentralised, community-managed delivery through Village Water and Sanitation Committees (Paani Samitis) within the Gram Panchayat.
• Village Action Plans prepared village by village, listing every household to be connected and the source, network and maintenance arrangements.
• Water quality testing through district and state laboratories, plus field testing kits handed to trained village women.
• As of 23 July 2025, more than 15.67 crore rural households (80.95%) of 19.36 crore were reported to have tap water supply, according to the Ministry of Jal Shakti.

Who is eligible for Jal Jeevan Mission?

Your household can get a connection if:

• You live in a rural habitation covered by a Gram Panchayat.
• Your household appears in the Village Action Plan survey conducted by the Village Water and Sanitation Committee.
• Your village has an approved piped water supply scheme under JJM, or one is being planned.
• Your household does not already have a functional tap connection from an earlier scheme.

Institutions matter too - JJM specifically covers schools, anganwadi centres, ashramshalas, health centres and Gram Panchayat buildings with piped water supply.

You are not eligible if:

• You live in an urban area - urban households are covered by the separate Jal Jeevan Mission (Urban) and AMRUT programmes, not by rural JJM.
• Your household already has a functional household tap connection counted under the mission - JJM does not fund a second connection to the same house.
• You are expecting a cash grant. JJM makes no payment to households; funds flow to the state agency and the Gram Panchayat for building the scheme.
• Your habitation has not been included in an approved Village Action Plan - in that case the first step is getting the Gram Sabha to include it, not filing an individual claim.

What documents are required for a Jal Jeevan Mission connection?

Requirements are set by the state Public Health Engineering or Rural Water Supply department, so the exact list varies between states.

How to apply for a Jal Jeevan Mission tap connection

1. Visit your Gram Panchayat office and ask whether your habitation is covered by an approved Village Action Plan under Jal Jeevan Mission.
2. Meet the Village Water and Sanitation Committee (Paani Samiti), the body inside the Gram Panchayat responsible for the village water supply scheme, and ask for your household to be listed in the household survey.
3. Fill in the household tap connection application form given by the Gram Panchayat or the state Public Health Engineering department, attaching proof of residence.
4. Pay any community contribution towards capital cost decided by the Gram Sabha for your village, and keep the receipt.
5. Raise the request in the Gram Sabha if your habitation has not yet been included in a Village Action Plan - inclusion is a Gram Sabha decision, not an individual one.
6. After the connection is installed, register for the operation and maintenance user charge set by the Paani Samiti, which funds day-to-day upkeep.

The states run their own online portals for scheme status and grievance registration; the national portal at jaljeevanmission.gov.in carries the dashboard, guidelines and state-wise contacts rather than an individual application form.

How much does Jal Jeevan Mission cost and who pays?

Jal Jeevan Mission is a centrally sponsored scheme with the following fund-sharing pattern:

The Union Cabinet approved the extension of Jal Jeevan Mission up to December 2028 on 10 March 2026, with an enhanced total outlay of Rs 8.69 lakh crore and central assistance raised to Rs 3.59 lakh crore, moving the programme into JJM 2.0, which focuses on structural reforms in the rural drinking water supply sector, digital monitoring and closing regional implementation gaps. JJM 2.0 targets certification of all Gram Panchayats as Har Ghar Jal, covering all 19.36 crore rural households by December 2028.

Households do not pay for the scheme's capital cost out of pocket beyond any community contribution decided locally, but they do pay a user charge for operation and maintenance fixed by the Gram Panchayat, which is what keeps the system running after the contractor leaves.

How to check Jal Jeevan Mission status for your village

1. Open jaljeevanmission.gov.in and go to the Har Ghar Jal dashboard.
2. Select your state, district, block and Gram Panchayat to see the number of households covered and the percentage of tap connections.
3. Check the water quality testing results reported for your village on the Water Quality Management Information System linked from the portal.
4. For scheme-level detail - contractor, source, work stage - ask the Village Water and Sanitation Committee or the block office of the state Public Health Engineering department.

Common problems and how to escalate them

• Connection installed but no water supply - raise it with the Paani Samiti first; operation and maintenance is its responsibility.
• Water quality complaints - ask for a field test kit result and, if needed, a laboratory test through the district water testing laboratory, which is free for community samples in most states.
• Household left out of the Village Action Plan - raise it in the Gram Sabha, which approves the plan.
• Scheme built but not commissioned - escalate to the block and district Public Health Engineering office and the District Water and Sanitation Mission.

Help and grievance redressal

• National Jal Jeevan Mission: 011-24362705, njjm.ddws@gov.in
• Official portal: jaljeevanmission.gov.in for dashboards, guidelines and state-wise contact details
• Village level: Village Water and Sanitation Committee (Paani Samiti) in your Gram Panchayat
• District level: District Water and Sanitation Mission, and the state Public Health Engineering or Rural Water Supply department

Several states run their own Jal Jeevan Mission consumer helplines and grievance portals. Use the state helpline number listed on your water bill or on the state PHE department website, since operation and maintenance is handled at the state and Gram Panchayat level.